Shawna Cuan
Chief Executive Officer, SustainEnergyFinance
Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 11:15 a.m. | Federal Funding, Pt. 2: Identifying Barriers and Creating Opportunity
Shawna Cuan is the Chief Executive Officer at SustainEnergyFinance, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) committed to transforming our communities with accessible, equitable, and creative financial solutions that build a clean energy economy. She oversees the development of financing products, project pipelines, and fundraising of private and public capital. She brings 15 years of work experience in clean energy across program design and implementation, research and analysis, technical writing, and teaching. She has extensive experience managing programs, research projects, staff, grants, loans, and contracts. Her quantitative skills include econometrics, statistics, and multivariate regression analysis, which have informed and driven policy for state government, non-profits, the private sector, and the military. Ms. Cuan’s excellent communication skills are demonstrated by frequent and successful public speaking engagements and personal accolades following briefings for Mayors, City Councils, Chief Executive Officers, Boards, and one- and two-star Admirals and Generals. She has fostered an array of productive relationships with public, private, and nonprofit entities, and institutions of higher education.
Before SustainEnergyFinance, she was the owner and CEO of Elevated Energy Solutions and Advisors, LLC, an energy consulting company that delivers tailored solutions in energy efficiency and renewable energy. She worked for the Governor’s Office of Energy Development as the Managing Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and as a Relationship Manager for Celtic Bank in commercial solar lending. Prior to moving to Utah, she worked in DC as a civilian analyst for the Navy, as a business developer for non-DOD federal agencies, and researcher in global environmental governance. She holds a Bachelor's in Political Science from University of California Santa Barbara and a Master's in Public Policy from Georgetown.